As the air warms on Bainbridge Island, construction on the Ellis Residence continues to bring this state-of-the-art sustainable home even closer to its expected LEED Platinum rating. Designed by Coates Design, the Ellis Residence will be the first single-family residence in the Western Puget Sound region to attain this level of environmental building achievement.
Perched upon Yeomalt Bluff which overlooks the Central Puget Sound and Seattle, the Ellis Residence was green from the get-go. The existing structure on the site was deconstructed rather than demolished, diverting 98% of its potential waste from the landfill through reclamation and recycling programs.
The design incorporates both active and passive climate control systems. On the active side, the house is heated by a geothermal system that uses the earth’s consistent natural warmth to stabilize the home’s temperature. On the passive side, a two-story concrete wall on one side of the house acts as a thermal mass, absorbing the sun’s heat during the day and emanating heat during the evening hours.
The house also features radiant-heated concrete floors, FSC-certified wood and site-milled fir in the framing, and triple-glazed windows. Beyond the parameters of the house, the site includes a rain garden for water filtration, water harvesting for irrigation, and a vegetated green roof system to reduce storm water runoff.
Follow the construction process on the project blog or check back in September when the residence is slated to be completed. Lucky Ellis’s!
